COURSE DESCRIPTION: Our objectives are to investigate the Earth's systems and “events” that occur and the associated effects. In the phrase "Earth system science (ESS)," the key term is "system." A system is a collection of interdependent parts enclosed within a defined boundary. Within the boundary of the earth is a collection of four interdependent parts called "spheres." Earth's spheres include: the lithosphere, which contains all of the cold, hard, solid rock of the planet's crust (surface), the hot semi-solid rock that lies underneath the crust, the hot liquid rock near the center of the planet, and the solid iron core (center) of the planet; the hydrosphere, which contains all of the planet's solid, liquid, and gaseous water; the biosphere, which contains all of the planet's living organisms; and the atmosphere, which contains all of the planet's air.

Events can occur naturally, such as an earthquake or a hurricane, or they can be caused by humans, such as an oil spill or air pollution. An event can cause changes to occur in one or more of the spheres, and/or an event can be the effect of changes in one or more of Earth's four spheres. This two-way cause and effect relationship between an event and a sphere is called an interaction. Interactions also occur among the spheres; for example, a change in the atmosphere can cause a change in the hydrosphere, and vice versa.

Earth system science is conducted by examining each event-to-sphere, sphere-to-event, and sphere-to-sphere interaction. This approach is referred to as an "Earth system science analysis" or an "ESS analysis." We will conduct the ESS analysis for several events: Yellowstone fires, Mt. Pinatubo volcanic eruption, El Nino, etc. We will use the strategy ofProblem-Based Learning (PBL) which is an instructional methodology that uses real-world contexts for in-depth investigations of a subject matter. Finally, we will discuss the applications of ESS for your own classroom and students.

Note: The Institute for Global Environmental Strategeis (IGES) will pay a stipend for up to six participating students ($75/module completed = $225 per student for the threemodules that you are pilot testing)